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As we continue our series looking at Leadent Solutions new Healthcheck service designed to help organisations get the most out of their systems and processes for optimising their field-based workforce Kevin Anderson takes up the mantle as he focusses on systems. 

If you missed the introduction to this series you can revisit part one here and the second feature, which focussed on the processes in a field service organisation is available here.

Focus on Systems

In parts 1 and 2 of this series we’ve talked about the importance of people and process to running you field-based operations, but without the right technology or systems it’s unlikely that your business is running optimally. A technology review is a key component of the Leadent Solutions Workforce Health Check.

The Promise of IT

Over recent years, technology has transformed field-based operations.  At the Field Engineer’s end of the process communication, hardware, and applications continue to advance at pace, with many companies now beyond their first mobile solution.

Similarly, automated scheduling and deployment systems have provided a paradigm shift in the way supporting back office functions work in the last ten years.  Industry leading organisations have recognised the importance of forecasting and planning in field-based operations, and we are therefore seeing an increased focus on technology solutions in this area.

The core enterprise applications covering job and asset management, customer management, supply chain, and reporting functions typically make up the IT landscape for field-based operations.

It may be that your IT is set-up well, is integrated, has appropriate functionality, enables your processes and employees, and supports the delivery of optimal business outcomes.

Most likely not all those boxes are ticked!  We often see our clients sitting in one of two camps.  Some clients have systems that are past their sell buy date in terms of ease of use, functionality or outcomes, and this is where replacement would probably be the best option.  Other clients have adopted new technology solutions, but have failed to realise expected benefits.

Staying with the motoring analogy adopted in this series of articles, maybe it’s really time to change that much loved, but old and problematic car.

Perhaps now’s the time for a change, a shiny new car with all the latest gizmos!  Or, perhaps the car you bought only last year simply needs a service to make it feel like new?

Taking a System View

The Leadent Solutions Workforce Health Check will take a view on your systems.  The health check may be part of a broader review of operations, alongside consideration of processes and people, for example.  It may cover the full suite of technology solutions enabling your field-based operations, or it may be limited to a specific application.   Review components include:

• Business objectives
• IT strategy (as required)
• Operational performance (targets and actual)
• System functionality, including alignment to process
• System configuration (as required)
• System enhancements (as required)
• Known issues
• Employee viewpoint (IT Department and End User)
• Current projects / programmes

As experts in understanding workforce optimisation for field-based operations, we know what good looks like.  We will highlight key issues and gaps, and recommend remedial actions.  Depending on the scope of the review and findings, this may be a prioritised action list, or maybe something more akin to a longer term technology adoption road map.

On The Way Out

The outcome of a review may show that a system, or suite of systems, are past their sell buy date in terms of ease of use, functionality or outcomes, and replacement would be the best option.

Finding yourself in this situation can be daunting.  You can see that a new system is a must, and the risk you are placing on your operations by continuing to make do with the existing technology is one you should look to mitigate as soon as possible. But the options available to you are, to some extent, incomprehensible, so where on earth do you start?

Leadent Solutions know and understand the leading technologies that enable field based operations.

Whether it’s large ERP level software, or SME targeted solutions, it is our business to understand this market so we are able to help our clients make informed choices about technology.  Even so, there’s a mind-boggling array of products and technologies out there and it’s hard to know where to look, or more importantly, what to focus on when making that product selection.

After conducting in-depth research into field-based workforce management software capabilities, we’ve found that the market is pretty mature, with lots of different products catering to different, specific requirements.  Important things to consider in this evaluation are:

• Involving the right people,  from the business, from the IT Department, and potentially third parties subject matter experts
• Understanding the functionality you require, detailing functional and non-functional requirements
• Understanding any constraints (IT strategy, budget, timelines, e.g.)
• Being aware of any complexities in implementation, including potential integration issues
• Establishing the criteria against which you are going to evaluate
• Having a defined evaluation selection process that includes demonstrations, proof of concepts, reference site visits, for example

It’s a process that, if managed effectively, can really lead to a step change in the performance of your field-based operations.  Product selection is one thing, implementation another.  Implementation is a subject that we will return to in the fourth article in this series.

Fine Tuning

You have invested time and money in new technology, but it’s simply not delivering the expected business performance.   There many reasons why that may be case, for example:

• The original implementation fell short in terms of functionality and ease of use
• Business adoption isn’t as planned
• Subsequent system changes have focused on specific issues, not the broader performance
• The business and its processes have moved on, leaving the technology behind[/unordered_list]

A health check may conclude that exploiting the technology you have, rather than replacing systems, is the best option. Exploitation may include software re-configuration and / or system enhancements.

System upgrades potentially also fall into this category.  By involving the right people, understanding the functionality you require and any known constraints, and being aware of any complexities in implementation, this will drive the detail of the improvements required.

The last part of this series covers a case study at Anglian Water, where a health check on the quality of work schedules led to a number of changes in the set-up and configuration of the ClickSchedule application.

This article has focused on technology, but business solutions depend on technology, process and people.  It may not be technology where remedial action is required.  Particularly where there are issues of business adoption, understanding and rectifying the people issues may be of greater importance.  That system issue may just get fixed by re-briefing or re-training your employees.

So, in this series, we’ve now talked about optimising the three cornerstones of your field-based operations namely people, process, and technology.  Hopefully, we’ve shown how looking closely at what you are already doing, and considering the options for improvement, this can lead to real change in your business.

Next time, we’ll consider how you can plan to make the required changes.

There is also a video interview that accompanies this feature with Emma Newman, Managing Consultant Leadent Solutions which is available here

If you think your company could benefit from the Healthcheck you can contact Emma and the team directly by clicking this link

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Whether it’s buying a holiday, a car, or new gadget to play with I invariably check out reviews online and when ever possible I seek out the independent reviews written by regular folks like you and me...

Yes I know that these can be manipulated by the occasional misguided and naive marketeer or business owner (come on guys we can see through false reviews a mile off) but on the whole I find the process pretty much integral to my selection process.

I’ll also use them when selecting a field service company to come to my house and undertake some form of home maintenance. Plumbers, Electricians, Decorators etc.

Small businesses such as these have always held word of mouth close to their heart as without the resources to undertake a sophisticated marketing campaign recommendations are the lifeblood of their ongoing success. So for companies such as these the online reviews – the digital equivalent to a word of mouth recommendation are also vitally important.

Of course negative feedback has it’s value too and the savvy businesss owner will be abld to look at the recurring weaknesses and apply field service management tools like work order histories and intuitive scheduling and dispatching to try and continuously improve their service levels. By doing so they increase the chances of more positive reviews and therefore more business.

A sound theory for sure but does it actually stack up in practice?

To test the power of online reviews for SME home maintenance companies technology consultancy Software Advice surveyed home maintenance customers to determine how they used online reviews sites to select home maintenance companies and here we look at some of the key findings of the research.

Headline findings

• A majority of respondents (68 percent) say they find online reviews to be “extremely” or “very valuable” when evaluating residential service providers.
• The most important information respondents look for in online reviews is the quality of service provided (87 percent) and cost (78 percent).
• Fifty-six percent of respondents say they used online resources to find their most recent residential service provider.
• Eighty-six percent of respondents would pay more for a residential service provider with higher ratings and reviews.

Many Would Pay More for Well-Reviewed Service Provider

Perhaps the most interesting statistic that the findings unearthed was that cost was not the most significant factor in selecting a company to provide home maintenance. In fact an overwhelming majority of respondents said they would pay more for a service provider with higher rankings and better reviews, versus paying less for a provider that didn't.

In all, 86 percent of respondents said they would pay more, to some degree, for a service provider with more positive reviews. Clearly, there is real revenue-generating potential for businesses with positive online reviews.

“Consumers highly value their dollars spent, and are typically willing to pay a higher price for what they believe is a better service or product,” explains Chris Sullens, CEO of Marathon Data Systems.

“Word of mouth has [been], and always will be, one of the strongest points of persuasion for consumers; now it is just digitised, and they trust what other consumers have to say more than any marketing material they might see.”

In fact it is service standards that are being sought after the most form home maintenance providers when people are reviewing customer reviews and not cost.

Among respondents to the survey 87 percent were seeking information on the quality of services provided, while 78 percent were seeking pricing and cost information.

So whilst both are significant factors it is interesting that especially when it comes to inviting workmen into their homes they value service standards ahead of costs.

Ninety-Six Percent Find Online Reviews Moderately to Extremely Valuable

It’s also interesting to see that I am not alone in finding reviews helpful. In fact it is an almost universal habit with 96% of the respondents stating they found online reviews at least moderately valuable.

This can be broken down further with a quarter of all respondents finding the reviews ‘extremely valuable’ and just shy of half (43%) finding them very valuable.

Sullens commented the value of these online reviews stems from the snapshots they provide of businesses’ relationships with their customers.

“Putting an emphasis on customer relationships can certainly help,” he says. “If a business consistently provides high-quality services, competitive pricing and quote accuracy, positive word-of-mouth from satisfied customers will come easily.”

Some highly interesting findings there for sure and should you want to know more then you can read the full report at http://www.softwareadvice.com/field-service/industryview/online-reviews-report-2015/ 

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In this series we are tackling the topic of end to end field service and exploring the technology options across each stage of the service call lifecycle.

In part one we looked at taking that request, and in part two we focused on getting the right engineer to the right place at the right time.

Last time around we looked at selecting the right hardware for your field engineers and now in this the final feature in this series we look at what considerations should be put in place around the software we put on those devices.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

Tools to do the job  - Software

Having selected the device to empower your field engineers the next step is to select the right mobile software to make the most of that hardware.

Whilst there has been great strides forward with cross platform HTML5 applications a strong argument lies within a ‘native’ app approach where the application is specifically designed to work alongside your device’s operating system (OS).

A  strong argument lies within a ‘native’ app approach where the application is specifically designed to work alongside your device’s operating system (OS).Not only do native apps tend to be on the whole more aesthetically in line with the devices OS and therefore more intuitive for a user familiar with the OS but they are also able to take more advantage of the device’s capability – for example Near Field Communication.

 

There are of course numerous field service apps on the market, and as with office based systems the option to either sit within one platform or select a third party app is open to you. However, as with back office systems integration to your core ERP system is absolutely vital.

The whole point of moving your field workers onto a mobile device is to streamline processes and therefore communication between your office system and your team in the field must also be seamless.

As with all of the discussions so far again understanding your field engineers workflow is at the core of successfully selecting a mobile app that enhances your field service engineers productivity.

However, a few of the more common requirements for field engineers include:

Health and safety regulations:

Whilst your field engineers may undertake the appropriate steps to ensure they are working safely each and every time they tackle a job.

For example an electrician knows to turn off the main power to a house before he changes a light fitting – he certainly wouldn’t forget to do it more than once!

However, by locking an app until the ‘switch mains off’ box is checked not only prompts your field engineer but also ensures he and your company are confirming to health and safety regulations.

Similarly there are stringent regulations in place regarding loan workers, so many field service apps have necessary steps in place to ensure your loan working field engineers are both safe and complying with these regulations.

Knowledge Bases

Perhaps one of the most valuable tools you can arm your field service engineers with is access to a wider knowledge base.

This can range from information on the device they have been sent to repair – it’s previous fault history for example, through to knowledge bases with videos and articles that describe faults the engineer may never have come across before, through to video conferencing where the engineer on the job is able to discuss a problem he is unable to resolve with a more experienced engineer in real time – something that is particularly useful for organisations who are servicing devices in remote locations for example.

Access to parts ordering and contracts

Whilst in an ideal world the diagnosis of the issue would have been made in the initial stages of arranging a service call, in reality in many instances the field service engineer will find the right solution is something different upon arrival at the site.

In this instance it is absolutely essential that he has clear visibility into spare parts inventory and has the ability to order the parts needed if required.

Having to go back to the office and go through a separate chain to get these parts means further frustration for your customer and wasted time and resources for your company.

Similarly if they need to carry work that exceeds a normal maintenance contract – for example if the device he has been sent out to repair has been used beyond it’s normal working parameters, then it is vital he has an understanding of the level of cover the contract offers. Remember a field engineer’s main focus is making things work again and he will be under pressure from your customers when on site. The last thing he will be thinking of is ‘is this covered by there SLA’. Unless of course it is clearly highlighted in front of him.

This also leads us on to the next element, the ability to either communicate with the sales team or create sales directly from the field.

 

A customer falling out of warranty is perhaps the easiest sell a company can have when the engineer is on site – as long as the engineer can show clear evidence that the repair falls out of the agreed contract.

If the engineer can simply add the charge onto the clients account there and then so he can go about resolving the issue then the sales process becomes both simple and effective.

Similarly as a trusted adviser the field service engineer is in a great position to upsell.

“I’ve fixed the problem with your printer and noticed your running low on toner and will probably run out within a week – shall I order some more for you” is one simple example and 99 times out of 100 the customer will surely say yes.

Order approval:

A critical functionality of any field service mobile app is to approve the work as soon as it is done.

By giving your field engineers the ability to have customers acknowledge the work carried out and having this data instantly recorded in your back office system you are not only able to gather information on your field service engineers productivity but also have clear documentation of your work being approved should any dispute arise between you and your customers.

Communicating back to HQ:

Of course order approval is not the only metric you can assess your field engineers  productivity on. Every interaction the field engineer makes with the app provides the opportunity for further data collection on both the engineer themselves and the customer.

For example – is the engineer spending longer on each job than is average amongst his peers – in which case is training required? What about the travel between each job? Is he taking longer than expected? Or is regularly making journeys in less time than you would expect – perhaps indicating he is driving over the speed limit?

What insight does he have into your customers? Has there been a change in personnel since the last company visit? Can your engineer update the CRM system? Perhaps anecdotally he hears that your customers are thinking of expanding – can he arrange for a member of the sales team to come and speak with your customer about how you can ease that process?

 

What about the device he’s working on? Is he seeing common faults at each customer he visits?

Could this result in a design improvement if fed back into R&D?

Important data is everywhere and there are few better equipped to collect it than a field service engineer. Giving them the right tools to transmit that data to the place it has most value is a crucial part of the field service mobile app.

Conclusion: Understand your engineers workflow.

As we mentioned at the very beginning of this white paper the introduction of the concept of end-to-end field service is both emerging and ill defined as yet.

What we have tried to achieve in this white paper is take you as a field service professional whether it be on the side of IT, business leadership or operations, through an end to end journey of how at each stage technology can play a part in streamlining your field service operations.

 

However, not only is the topic itself vast but so to are the resulting options and it is far too easy to end up making costly mistakes in such an environment.

Therefore it is absolutely key to develop a road map that plots your path to developing an end to end service management solution and the only place to start that road map is by stepping outside of your existing framework and understanding two key concepts.

Firstly what do your customers require from you in terms of service, and secondly what is your field engineers daily workflow?

Once you have an understanding of both of these questions then you are in position to build up your solution to enhance and improve these two areas.

It may seem like the longer path in the early stages, however, ultimately such an approach will take you where you need to be far more effectively.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

This series is sponsored by:

 

 

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Tools to do the job – hardware

In this series we are tackling the topic of end to end field service and exploring the technology options across each stage of the service call lifecycle.

In part one we looked at taking that request, and in part two we focused on getting the right engineer to the right place at the right time.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

In the previous features in this series we have looked at the transition from identifying the need for a service call and gathering as much information as possible to allow us to understand the requirements of that specific call out.

Following that we have looked at the importance of being able to have a 360 degree view across internal systems to enable us to get the right engineer to the job, with all the required tools and parts needed to complete the fix and of course to ensure that the service we are delivering is covered by our customers contracts so we are not giving our valuable service away for free.

All good! So now lets focus on empowering our field service engineers when they are on the job.

Paper is just so 20th Century

Having just had a field engineer visit my own home who was still required to fulfil the documentation of his work in paper based format I was amazed at how cumbersome this approach was and the sheer waste of productivity his organisation (one of the UK’s largest glaziers) must be facing.

Seeing it there in front of me as I signed forms in triplicate it really dawned on me that moving to a digital means of working is no longer a nice to have but a must.

 

Not only is there the very simple business case that moving to a digital first medium will almost certainly pay for itself when you factor in the saved man hours in needless administration (not to mention sheer paper costs!) but also the perception.

Despite the engineer being polite, friendly and doing a great job, I still felt I was dealing with an organisation that weren’t as professional as they should be. In the consumer realm this has some impact on the level of brand trust. In a business to business environment – this could be the difference between choosing your company or your competitors.

So if the decision to go mobile and finally turn away from paper is a given – the question becomes no longer why but how – and this is where there are almost as many variables as answers.

Is BYOD the answer?

 

Perhaps the biggest of these  questions centres around BYOD. The BYOD trend has been much vaunted for many years but has yet to truly take off in the UK and Europe as it has done in the United States.

Whilst the benefits are clear – less cost, quicker adoption and happier staff using the device of their choice, a counter argument surrounding security, insurance and the murky hidden costs of such a set up is easily made.

The emerging CYOD (choose your own device) could well take prominence as a solution that takes the best aspects of BYOD and negates the biggest fears.

However, it is my view that this debate is best left to the wider realm of enterprise mobility.

When selecting devices for field service engineers it is far more important to understand the requirements of their daily activities and then find a device that best suits those needs rather than try to utilise a variety of differing devices.

Build a case of requirements based on your field engineers’ workflow

Lets take a look again at the field engineer who visited my own home today as an example.

One of the first things that was evident was that he required a device that was big enough to accommodate the documentation of his work, much of which was form based. Therefore a smartphone or mini tablet device would have been cumbersome and the form factor that would have been preferable would have been either a more standard sized 10” tablet device or a laptop.

Despite their being a number of fields in each form the engineer completed, the actual level of data input was fairly minimal with short answers to most fields. Therefore the need for a keyboard is not huge so the portability of a tablet over a laptop comes more to the fore.

As his job was to measure up the windows we were to have replaced simple drawings were required within the forms that outlined the shape and style of each window. Therefore a pen input should be included for the device for ease of use.

Across one window there was potential for damage to our property during installation if not handled in the correct manner and scaffolding woul need to be erected. Photographic evidence of this would have been valuable not only for his companies due process but also in explaining where exactly the issue was. Therefore a camera should also be part of the device.

The engineer was working mostly indoors in a non hazardous environment so ruggedisation needn’t be a major consideration beyond perhaps a secure case for accidental drops etc. Similarly as the engineer was visiting mostly commercial homes additional connectivity such as RFID and NFC don’t generally come into play either.

 

And there we have it by taking into consideration our field engineers requirements we are able to identify a mobile tool that is right for his workflow.

In this instance a consumer unit such as Samsung Note 10.1 or perhaps the Microsoft Surface with a semi-rugged cover would be sufficient. In more manufacturing based environment a specifically designed rugged device maybe required. If you’re field engineer is servicing connected devices then RFID or NFC can become hugely important. Or perhaps a barcode scanner is required?

Also consider periphery devices, does your customer require a printed receipt for work carried out? In which case a wireless printer in the back of  the engineers van could be essential.

Maybe the engineer has to input large amounts of data manually so a keyboard is essential – in which case a laptop or perhaps a convertible is the way to go.

The important part here is to take a step back and assess the needs of your field service engineers and then select your devices accordingly.

The technology certainly exists to meet most demands however; it is also easy to end up selecting a device on reputation and either missing functionality you need or paying for functionality that your engineers may never use.
 
There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

This series is sponsored by:

 

 

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After last week’s focus on People, this week we’re turning our attention to the importance of checking your processes for field-based operations are in good shape. They may not be as enticing as people or technology, but processes are the backbone of business operations that any organisation ignores at its peril. Mark Thompson, Managing Consultant at Leadent Solutions explains further...

Our car analogy, introduced in Part 1, extends to illustrate the importance of process. You might take your car in for a service at the local garage, but think of the range of processes involved to complete it successfully: facilities management, human resources, logistics, call management and customer service, and scheduling and operations, for example.

This also rings true for your field-based workforce: effective processes are the core of successful operations - of course enabled by technology, and executed by engaged and skilled employees. But without process, operations will be compromised.

Taking a Process View

Operational reviews can often only focus on the technology, forgetting the supporting processes and looking only at one part of the whole. However, processes are fundamental to achieve mobile workforce excellence – after all, this is the part that defines execution, exerts control, monitors performance and provides essential management information, so that you know your operations are providing value to the organisation. Processes are wide ranging and cover customer, assets, and jobs, alongside managing the mobile workforce.

Processes operate over different timeframes, some more planned and long term, some reactive, more here and now. Without clear and relevant processes to define how you manage your customers, your work, and your mobile workforce, an awful lot of effort and cost can be wasted. This is perhaps obvious – all organisations have processes, right? Well, yes, but are they the right ones and are they producing the right results?

 

Seeking Optimal Performance

With our clients, at Leadent Solutions we use a Workforce Optimisation Heath Check to review current state business processes, most typically covering the core functions listed below:

• Long and medium term planning
• Tactical planning
• Customer management
• Scheduling
• Work deployment
• Job execution
• Exception management (Work and Resources)

It is about the end to end process, but also ensuring that the individual processes have integrity in their own right, and that the processes are integrated and work as a whole. It’s important to recognise that the process for forward ordering car engine components is as critical as the process for fitting the components.

Checks are also required to understand that the processes are measured, managed, and controlled.

Through a process mapping exercise, the current state review will highlight ineffective processes and ineffective process integration.   Performance metrics analytics will confirm or add to findings.   We will also listen to stakeholders to understand and document their issues. Once we have this information an additional step of root cause analysis will unearth the actual problems requiring rectification.

 

Alongside reviewing the effectiveness of business and system processes, it’s essential to consider how processes are aligned to the overall business objectives. There’s little point in coming up with near-perfect, gold standard processes if they are geared up to provide a completely different value to that which your organisation needs to meet its aims.

Getting Back on Track

Issue identification, root cause analytics, and business alignment checks will highlight areas for improvement. In understanding the issues and any shortfalls that may have evolved, a picture of ‘what good looks like’ starts to come together. With this knowledge, the review can determine recommendations and future remedial work with much more clarity and purpose.

Remedial actions will vary depending upon the nature of the workforce management processes and current state, but may include, for example:

• Process corrections and improvements
• Process automation
• Role and responsibility changes
• New or modified Key Performance Indicators
• System changes (potentially in planning, scheduling, deployment, mobile applications, but also other supporting systems, e.g. customer management, procurement / supply chain)

Aligned to business needs, remedial actions will be prioritised and recommendations made on how these should be approached. Regards approach, consideration will most likely cover issues of IT deployment, business readiness, organisational change, training and communications.

Taking the Organisation with You

Process health checks are completed using a mix of review workshops, data and information gathering, and stakeholder interviews. It is critical that the right people are involved, with representatives from all functions, and that they are properly engaged in appropriate review activities. Their knowledge and viewpoint are integral to the success of the exercise. Business sign-off of the priority issues and remedial actions is also of paramount importance. Staying with the car analogy, the review will definitely be a journey, maybe an uncomfortable one at times, but at all times stakeholders must feel like they are driving.

Taking a Holistic Approach

Effective processes are aligned to business objectives, work effectively and drive value in terms of service and cost. To achieve this it’s important that they are set-up optimally: are yours?

In reality, effective business solutions need process, systems and people working together. Set-up and managed correctly, the enabling function of technology, and the behaviours and actions of people make business processes operate effectively (or otherwise!). In any review activity is it difficult to separate process, people and system, so a holistic approach is best.

In part dependent upon known issues, in part dependent upon planned or ‘in flight’ programmes or projects, it may be possible to review all three components in tandem, or at least draw on other sources to provide that holistic approach. However this is managed, the crucial part is to take that over-arching view.

Next time we’ll be looking at the role of Systems in assessing the health of your field-based operations…

If you think your company could benefit from the Healthcheck you can contact Emma and the team directly by clicking this link

Also check out our exclusive interview with Leadent Solutions Emma Newman that accompanies this feature

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Workforce optimisation specialists Leadent Solutions have recently launched a new health-check service for companies operating a mobile workforce to ensure they are getting the most out of their existing systems and processes.

To find out more about what this service entails Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland spoke exclusively with Emma Newman, Managing Consultant at Leadent Solutions and we will be bringing you this interview across the next four weeks.

In this first part of this new series the discussion focussed on perhaps the most important part of any organisation, the people.

Now here we look at why processes are such a key ingredient in the successful mix of a field service organisation and how we can get these right.

There is also an accompanying series of articles to this interview which add further insight into the health-check. The first of these of which is available here.  

To find out more about the importance of processes in workforce optimisation then the second feature written by Mark Thompson, Managing Consultant with Leadent Solutions is available here

If you think your company could benefit from the Healthcheck you can contact Emma and the team directly by clicking this link

Within the last decade technology has altered the way field service companies operate irrevocably, yet the technology now emerging on the horizon could change the game even further.

Across the last few weeks Field Service News has been looking at some of the technologies that we think will be impacting on field service across the next year.

In part one of this series we looked at Wearables, Cloud and NFC and in the second instalment we focussed on IoT, Big Data and Cyber Security.

Now in this the final section of the series we take a look at where Drones , 3D Printing, 4G and Integrated Platforms will fit into the field service landscape.

A bit of a buzz around Drones…

As we entered 2014 there was still an incessant buzz around Drones that had been sparked by Amazon’s fantastic claims that they were investing heavily in research and development of Drone technology. Accompanied by an incredibly slick video showing an Amazon branded Unmanned Aerial Drone (UAD) picking up a parcel from the depot and happily buzzing away as it delivered it right to the recipients front door.

At the time Field Service News looked at the proposition including questioning whether it was all just a fantastic PR exercise or whether there was indeed potential for a drone based delivery service.

 

A year on and Amazon’s delivery drones have still yet to materialise however, with the cost of drones plummeting (a small drone with a camera capable of recording decent quality footage can now be picked up for between £50 to £75) there is certainly potential for drones to be used in field service.

Indeed in the UK there are now over 300 companies licensed to use drones for commercial reasons and whilst delivery drones may seem far-fetched and are subject to an awful lot of as yet undefined regulation, there are plenty of applications for drones that could benefit field service.

For example, a visual inspection on an inaccessible roof of a building could be required. A UAD could provide this visual check without the need to erect scaffolding potentially saving at least a days labour. Or what about large manufacturing plants that can in some cases span many miles. Again manual visual inspection could be a long drawn out process, but with the aid of drones the time to complete the task could be slashed.

3D Printing is on the verge of a true breakthrough…

Perhaps my favourite of all emerging technology for the sheer Star-Trek-ness of it all is 3D printing.  The idea of something appearing out of nothing just seems so, well for want for a better word… cool.

 However, it is not just the ‘cool’ factor that makes 3D printing so exciting. More than any other technology identified in this series 3D printing has the potential to completely change business, as we know it.

 

Economies of scale no longer come into play, the cost of producing one unit is the same as the cost of producing thousands of units. Meaning that companies will be able to operate on lean methodologies far easier.

Then we consider the benefits for field service. Imagine the impact it could have if a field service engineer is able to print 3D parts on site. No more parts ordering and delays, the engineer having identified a part is worn could simply print a part there and then.

Whilst it might seem like something from science fiction the truth is this technology could just be around the corner. We know that it is possible to create parts strong enough for commercial applications via 3D printing. A recent example being manufacturer of helicopter parts Turbomeca who are now producing fuel injector nozzles for its Arrano helicopter engines.

We have also seen smaller and more affordable consumer 3D printers come to the fore in the last year.

So is it that big a leap of faith to foresee a field based 3D printing solution being rolled out in the not too distant future?

4G – a key enabler across field service

If 3D printing is the most exciting of technologies to make this list then it could be argued that 4G is perhaps the most understated.

The reason I say this is that when it’s older brother 3G entered the scene it was a complete game changer. The leap from WAP to 3G (okay technically WAP to EDGE to 3G) was an unprecedented stride forward in mobile computing. It coincided with early smart phones and it changed the way we work forever.

By the time 4G rolled along we had already got used to smart phones and fast wi-fi speeds too. So whilst being able to access broadband speed internet on the move is of course pretty incredible – the ‘wow factor’ that arrived with 3G just hasn’t quite been there.

 

3G changed the world. 4G just does everything 3G does only better and faster.

However, if we take a step back then the impact 4G will have is truly incredible, especially for the field service industries.

The increase in mobile data speed means access to knowledge bases is an easy and quick option for field engineers. Similarly the ability to hold high quality video conferencing from one onsite engineer to another is again made possible through 4G.

And with both Vodafone and O2 promising 98% coverage across the UK by the end of 2015, 4G in the UK at least, will very soon be one of those technologies, like smart phones themselves, that we just don’t remember how things worked before it came along.

Integrated field service platforms will continue to be at the fore…

The final inclusion on the list is one which has been making a slow rise to prominence out of necessity as much as anything else.

Across the last year we heard a lot about integrated service management platforms. A number of providers have developed full service lifecycle solutions and with integration issues being at the fore for field service companies looking to move to a next generation solution there is a solid case for exploring such a solution.

 

However, whilst the platform approach has merits, integration with other systems has also become a significant focus for many providers also and this appears to be becoming a growing trend, which could make selecting various best in class options more readily available.

What is key however, is that whether you opt for a full platform approach or a number of individual ‘best-in-class’ with full integration, your service management solution should no longer have any restrictions when it comes to the flow of data.

The ability to breakdown siloes is key to the successful operation of a field service organisation and the technology is now readily available to make sure this is possible – easy integration will be a major selling point for service management providers and those who fail here will struggle to compete.

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End to end field service was one of the biggest buzz phrases heard across the past year and there is good reason for the movement as at each step of the field service cycle there is an opportunity to streamline your workflow...

In the first part of this series we looked at the technology that can be put in place to aid taking the request for service including web-chat, call centres and web based self-help solutions. Now in the second part of the series we focus on how technology can help us ensure we get the right engineer, to the right job at the right time...

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

Whether it be via call centre agent notes or customer provided information on a self-help portal, the one key focus of all of the should be to collect enough information to allow the effective dispatch of a field service engineer (or engineers depending on the task) with the correct qualifications to the job whilst simultaneously ordering any required parts so the engineer has everything at his disposal required to resolve the issue on the first call out.

Therefore it is absolutely critical that you can move this information from a to b as seamlessly and painlessly as possible.

Your organisation may well operate an ERP system that was designed to achieve this and this will sit at the heart of your businesses systems including the service elements.

However, just as we were in the early nineties when the term ERP was first coined and in 2000 when Gartner declared ERP is dead – Long Live ERP II  we are transitioning from one generation of technology to the next and one of the major balancing acts we must undertake is ensuring compatibility with legacy systems as we upgrade certain programmes or modules.

 

Employing dedicated system integrators to tailor software to fit within your existing framework can be an expensive process. Indeed research by Field Service News showed that well over a third (38%) of companies faced issues with integrating software with their legacy systems.

The good news however is that more and more software providers are focussing on integration solutions as they roll out their next gen solutions.

Take for example Solarvista NET  a key component in the software providers latest suite of solutions and is a technology that's designed to enable connection both to  Solarvista 8 but also other systems in a manner that's flexible, reliable, secure.

And as integration issues are minimised it will become that much easier to configure a system that is tailored to your individual organisational needs. However for most service organisations there are generally three fundamental functions that need to be considered.

These are the ability to schedule your workforce to get the right engineer to the right appointments, the ability to manage your assets and order parts as required and the ability to manage and view your contracts.

Scheduling:

The most important aspect of your field service operation is of course your field engineers. They are almost certainly one of your biggest costs as well so managing them effectively is vital if you are going to operate a service division as a profit centre rather than a cost drain on the wider business.

Sending an under qualified engineer or an engineer without the tools required to complete the repair not only causes a delay in resolving your customer’s issue but also represents a days labour cost simply thrown away.

Also for any business it is important to have as many staff as possible in customer facing roles where they can potentially contribute to revenue streams. Regardless of how skilled your dispatchers are their role remains a lower tiered operational one where they can never directly impact revenue.

 

Therefore it makes good economic sense to have fewer resources dedicated to the back office dispatch and more allocated to the field.

This is where the inclusion of a modern scheduling engine is absolutely critical. Research by Field Service News identified that almost half (49%) of companies still using manual processes to dispatch their field engineers were able to manage just 5 field engineers per dispatcher. The same research showed that an average ratio of engineers to dispatchers in companies using any form of scheduling was 16:1.

Basically the introduction of scheduling engines resulted in an improvement in dispatch productivity of at least 300%.

There are a number of different types of scheduling available and the type that is right for your organisation is dependent on a number of factors, for large organisations with many hundreds if not thousands of engineers then an optimised solution maybe preferred.

For those companies with smaller mobile workforces then perhaps a simpler assisted scheduling solution may fit the bill.

Certainly there can be considerable differences in terms of costs and smaller organisations simply may never reap the rewards of the more costly option. Many specialist service management software providers will offer both an optimised and an assisted solution and recommend you the option that is best for your company.

 

For example Solarvista offer both solutions however at 80% more expensive they will only recommend their fully optimised solution to those companies who they believe will truly benefit from the solution.

Whichever level of optimisation you select however, your scheduling system should be able to collate data from both your workforce’s skill sets and your customers requirements and either make recommendations or optimise a day’s schedule accordingly.

What is certain though is that whiteboards, post-it notes and Exel spread sheets simply won’t cut the mustard anymore.

Asset Management/Parts Ordering:

Of course getting the right engineer to the right job is all well and good but it becomes a moot exercise if he doesn’t have the parts required to complete his task.

The next vital element within a service management solution is being able to both track your existing assets and also to easily order parts not in your existing inventory.

As well as being a key factor in helping achieve the field service nirvana of first time fix rates there is also another highly important reason such functionality is a crucial part of a service management solution.

From a business perspective tying up funds in unnecessary inventory either in a depot or worse in the back of your engineers’ vans places an unnecessary burden on cash flow also.

Contract management:

The third element that is essential for almost every field service organisation within a service management solution is contract management.

This again has a two-fold importance.

On the one hand clear understanding of your service agreement with each customer is absolutely critical to ensure that you are not giving away valuable service offerings outside of your agreed SLAs. The flip side of this of course the same insight also provides clear upsell opportunities.

There is also an accompanying white paper to this series which is available to download here

This series is sponsored by:

 

Workforce optimisation specialists Leadent Solutions have recently launched a new health-check service for companies operating a mobile workforce to ensure they are getting the most out of their existing systems and processes.

To find out more about what this service entails Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland spoke exclusively with Emma Newman, Managing Consultant at Leadent Solutions and we will be bringing you this interview across the next four weeks.

In this first part of this new series the discussion focusses on perhaps the most important part of any organisation, the people.

There is also an accompanying series of articles to this interview which add further insight into the healthcheck. The first of these of which is available here. 

If you think your company could benefit from the Healthcheck you can contact Emma and the team directly by clicking this link